ABSTRACT
‘Hyper-socialised’ curriculum enactment is the result of pressure brought to bear on teachers by the structures, norms and expectations of late capitalist society. Paradoxically, hyper-socialised curriculum enactment can be alienating for the individual, because the intensely ‘socialised’ nature of curriculum making removes the time and space for geographical curriculum making – described by one teacher in the study as a ‘luxury’. Teachers are better equipped to produce a curriculum of ‘powerful knowledge’ when they develop critical self-awareness of their role and responsibility as curriculum makers. ‘Hyper-Socialised’ curriculum enactment aims to articulate neither a utopian nor a dystopian future for geography teaching, but rather to describe the current situation. Hyper-socialisation has particular implications for both initial teacher education and ongoing professional development. Hyper-socialisation, which influences the enacted curriculum, is countered by encouraging the teacher to see the ‘bigger picture’ beyond the dominant performativity and results culture in education.
